Vibration damping device



A. L. KIMBALL VIBRATION. DAMPING DEVICE Filed July 5, 1929 Figl.

Nov. 24, 4931.

22 v v Inventor Arthur- L.. Kimbal His Attorney Patented Nov. 24 19 31 A UNI-TED STATES PATENT I E m'mua L. mm, or comment NEW xoax, assrcruo'n 'r'o emmm anaemic oommmr, A coaronarron or new ou vmm'rxou imilzreruemnvrcn Application filed J'u1y'5, 1829. Serial No. 376,264.

The present invention relates to vibration bodies, particularly elongated bodies r 1g1dly fixed atone end to a support and sub ect at the other'end tovibrations of adestructive 5'character, such as those having a relatively low frequency and large amplitude.

. The invention is particularly well adapted .to turbine blades, aeroplane propellers, and

' the like, and in th accompanying drawings.

I have shown it applied to such apparatus but it will be understood that the invention is not necessarily limited thereto.

Considerable diflicult has been experienced with the blades 0 a turbine rotor and also with aeroplane propellers breaking under continued vibrations caused by uneven application of load and actuatin forces,

overning, end thrust of shaft, un alanced orces and the like. e

'2 .The turbine and propeller blades which are fixed at one end to their supports vibrate as a reed or cantilever. Continued vibration causes fati e failure and subsequent breakage ofthe lades.

Accordin to my invention I provide a cavit in a 0d such as a propeller or turbine lade and "spose in such cavity a memher which is rigidly fixed to the support andv which is designed to have a higher natural frequency of vibration than thebody, i. e., the member is made stiffer or more resistant to deflections than the body for example, by

reasonof itsfbeing of less length than the body. The clearance space between the member and. body is filled with a fluid, which fluid in" conjunction with the rigid member increases the internal resistance to'deflection 0f the assembly. -I find mercury is very effective due to th fact that impressed vibrations .must move the viscous fluid in the cavity from one side of the member to the other. It hasbeen determined by experiment that the fluid and inside member reduce the amplitude of the vibrations of the body to a very small amount.- For example, a 20" body fixedly mounted atits inner end on a shaft driven b a motor, said shaft havi g an eccentric 109. 'n tocause vibrations howed an 5" 'dBflGCtlOD at the outer end of the body, 3 without'the viscous fluid and a 2 31 flection with the viscous fluid when the body 1s caused to vibrate at its critical frequency. In order that this invention ma be more fully understood reference ma be ad to the accompanying drawings in w ich:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary side elevation with parts broken away and in section of my invention applied'to' a turbine;

2 is an end view of the parts shown'in- Fig. 3 is a sectionalview on line 3-3, Fig.

2; and ,L

Fig. 4 is a central sectional view of a modification of my invention applied to an aeroplane propeller, certain parts being shown in elevation. Y

In carrying out my invention as applied to turbine blades, attentionis directed to Figs. 1, 2 and 3, in which the turbine blades 5 having cavities 6 are rigidly 'fixed to a rotor disk 7. An inside member or rod 8 is disposed in each cavity and rigidly mounted relative to the support7. The member 8 is designed to have a hi her natural frequency of vibration than the b ade 5 as explained above. Cavities andinside members may be provided for all 'or selected blades. The base portion 9 of member 8 makes a drive or'other tight fit with the turbine blade base. The remaining portion of the member 8 may be straight or pref erably tapered as shown at 10 to cut down the mass of the member, to increase its natural frequency of vibration and to afiord a fluid spacein the cavity 6. The space inlthe cavity 6 not occupied by the inside member 8'is filled with a fluid such as cylinder oil. Other fluids may be employed. Mercury has proved very efl'ective though its viscosity is relatively low.

' If. desired, thefree end of the member 8 may are resisted by the inside member 8 and by the resistance that the fluid ofiers when caused to flow from side to side of the member '8. This resistance cuts down or damps the 4 1 'tions of the same.

plied to an aeroplane propeller blade. It is shown applied to a detachable blade type propelled since it may be conveniently adapted to this construction. It is obvious that with an inte ral type propeller the damping device wou d have to be applied at an angle to the longitudinal axis .of the blade. Fig. 4 illustrates an aeroplane propeller assembly having blades 12 retained in a split hub compris-' ing hub halves 13 and 14 which are provided with annular ridge 15. Blades 12 have correof their ends relative to the rotor and project into said cavities, said rods having higher natural frequencies of vibration than said sponding grooves 16 which cooperate with rid es 15 to retain the blades 12 a ainst centrii ugal displacement when the ha ves 13 and 14 are clamped by tightening'rings 17 and a I retaining nut 18 screw threaded to shaft 19.

A cavity 20 is formed in blade .12 or, if av hollow blade is to be employed, holes are formed through spacer blocks contained therein and a tube 21 closed at its inner end is rigidly fixed relative to its blade through 'said spacer blocks (not shown). A member 22 has a cylindrical end portion 23 which makes a drive or other tight fit with the tube 21 for rigidly fixing one end of member 22 relative to blade 12. The member 22 tapers toward its free end and may or may not be provided with the enlarged hollow tip as .shown at 11 in Figs. 1 to 3 inclusive. The tube 21 is constructed of metal or other rigid material impervious to fluid and used as a container for oil or other suitable fluid, which surrounds member 22. In the case of a duralumin or other solid metal propeller the tube may be omitted, as in the case of the turbine blade but in a wood propeller it wouldprevent the fluid from penetrating the wood fibers and in a hollow metal propeller would afford a chamber of a suitable section similar to that of the stifl'ener member.

- The tube 21 is filled by the member 22 and a viscous fluid. Member 22 and the fluid have the same damping action on forced vibrations of the blades as that described with reference to the Fi 1 to 3 inclusive.

It is o vious that many modifications and structural variations maybe resorted to uti-' lizing this invention and it is understood that in the appended claims I aim to cover all such modifications as fall within the .true spirit of m invention.

at I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is:

1. The combination with an elongated body having a longitudinally disposed cavity and a support on which one end of said body is rigidly fixed, of a member having a higher natural frequency of vibration than 95 said body, one end of the member being rigidly fixed relative to said support, said member projecting into the cavity in said body and a liquid in-said cavity.

2. The combination with an elongated body rigidly mountedqatone end to a su .port, and containing a cavity, of a rigid y supported member which has a higher 'natural frequency of vibration than the body and projects into the cavity in said body, and

fixed at one end to said rotor and have elongated cavities which extend radially from said fixed end into the bodies, and radially disposed rods which are rigidly fixed at one bodies and a liquid disposed in said cavities.

4. In an elastic fluid turbine, a rotor, radially extending blades rigidly fixed at their bases to said rotor and having cavities ex-[ tending radially outwardly into said blades from their bases, radially dis osed members each having one end rigidly ed relative to said rotor projecting into the cavities .and a fluid in said cavities.

5. An elongated body, a support to-which one-end of said body is rigidly fixed, a memher having a higher natural frequency of vibration than said body, one end of said member being rigidly fixed relative to saidsupport, said member projecting into a longitudinally disposed-cavity in said body-and surrounded by a fluid contained in' said cavity, said member being tapered inwardly from its fixed end to an enlarged and hollowed tip at its free end.

6. A body which is subjected to vibration having a longitudinally extending cavity at its inner end, a rotary support to which the body is secured at its inner end, a member which is also mounted on the support at its inner end, and has a different natural frequenc of vibration than thebody, and which exten s lengthwise of the cavity and is sep arated from the wall thereof by a small clearance, and a fluid in the eavit which fills the clearance, said member and uid acting as a damping means for the body.

7. A body which when rotated is subjected to vibration at its outer end and which is provided with a longitudinally extendin cavity at its inner end, a rotary support to w ich the body is secured at its inner end, a member which is also mounted on the support atits' inner end, and has a higher natural frequency of vibration than the bod and which .e'xtends into the cavity and as its outer end enlarged to increase its surface area, and a bod of fluid which fills the space in the cavit etween the member and its walls to damp vi rations. I v

} rigi and the walls of the elongated member fastened to the support of v v a ri 'dly supported vibration dampenm mem r and a fluid of high viscosity an great specific weight provi ed in a cavity of the elongated member whereby said dampenin member causes dis lacement of. fluid in said cavity in difierent 'rections and thereby dam lagns oscillatory energy of said elongated mem I1;1 wiitnfilss wflielreoflfIJlaitve hgrelmto set my ant's3r a0 y199.

' Anrimn L. K1MB y supported sposed between said 

